That sounds slow to me. My 80cc Elite will do 42mph (indicated) on level ground. Before doing a total rebuild, have you checked basic stuff like air filter, fuel delivery, etc? A while back my top speed dropped from 42 down into the low thirties; a new air filter returned things to the way they should be.

My '85 Honda Elite 150 will top out at about 56-58mph on level ground. Acceleration is tedious above 50mph. This is taking into account that per my GPS, the speedo reads about 2mph over actual speeds. I weigh about 230 with gear. It's slow off the line now, so I'm going to look at getting new variator weights. I believe the originals are still in there and it has 17,000 miles on it.

check for possible factory restricters that were designed to keep power down.
Most new 2 stroke 50cc scoots have combination of one or all of these . Awasher in the variator, too small of a carb jet, and or a welder in washer in the exhaust. If it had any of these taken them out will make a huge difference.

check for possible factory restricters that were designed to keep power down.
Most new 2 stroke 50cc scoots have combination of one or all of these . Awasher in the variator, too small of a carb jet, and or a welder in washer in the exhaust. If it had any of these taken them out will make a huge difference.

i agree with the drag, check for a restricter washer, and or carbon build up in the exaust pipe. take the exhast off the see how it does with out it on there? probably will be loud as hell, but you will know if it is the exhaust resricting things.

That sounds slow to me. My 80cc Elite will do 42mph (indicated) on level ground. Before doing a total rebuild, have you checked basic stuff like air filter, fuel delivery, etc? A while back my top speed dropped from 42 down into the low thirties; a new air filter returned things to the way they should be.

Ditto. My 1987 Elite 80 does an indicated 40-45 top end level ground. Major cause of air cleaner mess with these little engines is that blow-back tube (crank case vent). The higher RPM 4-stroke engines can actually vaporize crankcase oil. The residue settles in the blow-back tube, and you are supposed to empty it. If it fills up, it sends that oil residue into the air box. I know it's not environmentally friendly, but I just took the clamp and plug off the blow-back tube on my 80. Ain't nuttin building up in there anymore. It drips a little dot when parked, but at least I don't foul any more air cleaners. This little scoot actually uses very little oil, considering it is over 18 years old! It also gets over 130 mpg. My main complaint is the damned bistarter. It is probably not releasing right because, although the machine starts well, when I put on some gas to go cold, it stalls. Smells rich. It does this several times before I get it going. Wish it had a manual choke kit.

My elite had that same problem with the blowback. I also ended up with a little "vent tube" at the rear bumper, but it kept my air filter clean.

__________________It seemed to me that the earth may he borrowed but not bought. It may be used but not owned. It gives itself in response to love and tending.... But we are tenants and not possessors, lovers and not masters.

I have an '89 Honda ELite 50cc. It has over 5000 miles on it and has been well maintained but never rebuilt. It tops out at a 25 mph with me on it. (6ft, 185lbs)

Is this about right? Or does it need a rebuild?

Thanks

Up to the early '90's when I closed my scooter shop(so I don't know about newer models), Honda sold their 50's two ways, a full power scoot and a restricted version. The difference was the header pipe and carb jetting. The restricted pipe was a single diameter up to the muffler body and the more powerful one was stepped.
At any rate, the slow speed is a result of an exhaust restriction, either the muffler, the exh. port or both. When fed a steady diet of crappy oil, the mufflers clog up with the result of the ole potato up the exhaust pipe.
The easiest way to know is to put your finger over the outlet while it's idling. If the motor dies instantly, the pipe is clogged.

I just took mine off the beach because of rust developing onthe wheels and now have it at 5,345 feet above sea level in Boulder. It seems very sluggish, but will still do only about 43 mph: it is a 04 elite 80